GoUpstate

The South Carolina General Assembly elected Judge Gary Hill to the South Carolina Supreme Court Wednesday, making the state supreme court the only one of its kind in the United States with no woman on the bench. The all-male bench emerges the same week that women's reproductive rights and abortion bans continue to dominate state politics.

"Several in the legal circle have a great deal of respect for Hill,"Teague said. It was regrettable that South Carolina would be the only state not to have a woman on the Supreme Court bench. "But that's not Justice Hill's fault," she said.

South Carolina has become a target state for well organized groups that seek to restrict curriculum, reduce the influence of teacher groups, ban books, and ultimately privatize public schools. Taken together, these efforts will undermine social progress and undercut universal free public education

The Post & Courier

A Republican state senator from Charleston added drama to the S.C. Supreme Court election with allegations repeated this week that House Republicans effectively decided the race behind closed doors before it had even begun. Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, said the candidates’ quick withdrawals indicate a poll of some kind had been taken and accused Republicans of hiding behind the confidentiality pledge.

"Informal polls are a very obvious evasion of the rules around pledging,” said Lynn Teague, the vice president for issues at the League of Women Voters of South Carolina. “It is a distinction without a difference and should not be permitted.

Climate change, and the way we manage food, are closely related. Learn about this fundamental relationship. There's a lot you can start doing today to reduce your carbon footprint.

Presented by Ted Volskay, co-chair, LWVSC Environmental Working Group